The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reportedly arrested the Executive Director, Operations and Technical of Tantita Limited, Captain Warredi Enisuoh, Global Upfront News has reported.

Enisuoh is said to be is one of the intelligence officers prosecuting the war against oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

Tantita, is reportedly owned by leader of the now defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, which the Federal Government contracted to lead the war against oil theft in the Niger Delta.

The company since being awarded the contract by the government has unearthed several points where crude oil was being illegally lifted by both local and international collaborators in the oil-rich region.

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Enisuoh, a close ally of Tompolo, was said to have been arrested on alleged trump up charges not unrelated to the fight against oil theft in the region.

A statement by the management of Tantita confirmed the arrest and detention of Enisuoh by EFCC on Saturday, saying that the arrest of Tantita’s Executive Director is meant to distract the fight against oil theft in the region.

The statement titled ‘TANTITA PRESS RELEASE ON THE ILLEGAL DETENTION OF CAPTAIN WARREDI ENISUOH BY THE EFCC’ reads: “Tantita has been in the news for the amazing progress being made in returning Nigeria to pride of place as the leading oil producer in Africa. However, as we speak, efforts are being made to strangulate Tantita operations.

“On the 19th of January 2023, Tantita’s Executive Director Operations and Technical Capt. Warredi Enisuoh was invited by the EFCC and detained. He has been in EFCC custody since. All efforts to ensure his release have proved abortive, as the Commission has insisted that unless he provides a list of names who were his intelligence sources he would not be released.

“The EFCC’s invitation came right in the middle of an ongoing operation to unravel one of the biggest oil stealing cartels in this country. Capt Warredi Enisuoh, our ED Operations and Technical flew straight from Port Harcourt (where he was coordinating the operations) to Lagos to heed the EFCC’s invitation and walked right into a trap.

“What is the genesis of the EFCC invitation?

“Sometime in 2015/2016, the EFCC commenced 4 cases against Capt Warredi and several others. Of the four, three have been concluded, all in favour of Capt Warredi. The last one is presently ongoing before Honourable Justice Faji of the Federal High Court Lagos. Before these cases were instituted, the EFCC issued orders to various banks to block all Capt Enisuoh’s bank accounts. He challenged this administrative order in court on the basis that the EFCC has no power to freeze accounts without a court order and the Federal High Court lifted the freeze orders. The banks failed to comply, so he brought contempt proceedings against them, somehow the new judge handling the contempt proceedings froze the accounts again.

“Capt Warredi appealed to the Court of Appeal who overturned the 2nd judge and restored the orders of the first judge. Based on that judgment of the Court of Appeal in CA/L/1320/2016 delivered on 25/11/2017 the banks allowed Capt Warredi access to his accounts. The EFCC which was the 1st Respondent before the Court of Appeal in that case never appealed the judgment.”